Sinful indulgence

A meal served in secret. A meal eaten under cover. A meal hidden from God. A meal of shame. A gourmet sin. A sinful indulgence.

The ortolan dish is a highly controversial French delicacy made from the ortolan bunting, a small migratory songbird. Traditionally, the bird is captured, force-fed, and drowned in Armagnac, then roasted and eaten whole in a single bite. The diner often covers their head with a napkin while eating — symbolically to hide the shame from God, or more practically, to concentrate the aroma and conceal the act from others.

The practice is steeped in secrecy and ritual but has been banned in France since 1999 due to ethical, legal, and conservation concerns. The ortolan is a protected species, and its population has dramatically declined due to habitat loss and overhunting. Still, illegal consumption persists, especially among elite circles, as a symbol of gastronomic rebellion or indulgence.

The dish represents not only culinary tradition but also guilt, power, and moral conflict—a bite-sized gourmet sin that continues to evoke strong emotions and debate.

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A baroque pearl served on a silver plate represents the bird, which is eaten on its own without any accompanying sides. A pricy dish, referred to as being served on a silver plate.

Traditionally, the bird is eaten whole in one bite under a napkin. It is said to preserve the aromas and cover the person eating, as it isn’t pleasant to watch. However, the true reason is said to be to ‘hide from God,’ since it is considered a shameful and horrible act.

The candle is a common decoration on a dinner table and is often considered romantic and mood-setting. In this case, it is chosen to symbolise the ceremonial nature of this dish and to pay tribute to and remember all the birds that lost their lives for a single bite. A candle of grief.

Wine is a traditional accompaniment to this dish and food in general, as varied as wine prices; it is a drink of the rich. Just like the ortolan dish, it is rather pricy for its size. The wine also reflects the age of this practice and tradition. The wine glass is filled to represent the blood and death behind the dish.

The cloche is a separate element that can be worn as a pendant. It grants the wearer the power to see or hide. However, if one wishes to wear the ring, one must remove the cloche, as it isn’t attached and would fall off, inevitably revealing the reality. Just as a cloche covers and protects a meal, it also covers, protects, and hides the reality behind the Ortolan dish. The red interior of the cloche directly refers to the blood spilt, symbolising the death of these birds for a single bite. It also alludes to the inside of a mouth, consuming or, in this sense, covering the whole bird.

Just as one sits down to have a meal, I am ‘sitting the viewer down’ to address the existence and morbidity of this dish, which is why this piece is a set table. The only ‘logical’ way to tell this story was in the form of a ring, as it is worn on the hand, the very part that executes this act, putting the whole bird in the mouth at once to be eaten. With this piece, I confront the viewer with hidden brutality, a cruel tradition justified by greed and indulgence, setting a table of tragedy and reflection.